Halo Formation from Yukawa Forces in the Very Early Universe

Abstract

If long-range attractive forces exist and are stronger than gravity then cosmic halo formation can begin in the radiation-dominated era. We study a simple realization of this effect in a system where dark matter fermions have Yukawa interactions mediated by scalar particles, analogous to the Higgs boson in the standard model. We develop a self-consistent description of the system including exact background dynamics of the scalar field, and precise modelling of the fermion density fluctuations. For the latter, we provide accurate approximations for the linear growth as well as quantitative modelling of the nonlinear evolution using N-body simulations. We find that halo formation occurs exponentially fast and on scales substantially larger than simple estimates predict. The final fate of these halos remains uncertain, but could be annihilation, dark stars, primordial black holes, or even the existence of galaxy-sized halos at matter-radiation equality. More generally, our results demonstrate the importance of mapping scalar-mediated interactions onto structure formation outcomes and constraints for beyond the standard model theories.

22 pages + references, 13 figures. Matches published version

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• A double take on early and interacting dark energy from JWST
• Probing modified Hawking evaporation with gravitational waves from the primordial black hole dominated universe
• Compact objects in and beyond the Standard Model from non-perturbative vacuum scalarization
• Feeding plankton to whales: high-redshift supermassive black holes from tiny black hole explosions
• Primordial black holes as cosmic expansion accelerators
• Black Holes from Fermi Ball Collapse
• Late-forming black holes and the antiproton, gamma-ray, and anti-helium excesses
• Q-Balls in the presence of attractive force
• Observational Constraints on Early Coupled Quintessence
• Probing Long-Range Forces Between Neutrinos with Cosmic Structures
• Primordial black hole driven cosmic acceleration
• Inflation with the Trace Anomaly Action and Primordial Black Holes
• Dimming Starlight with Dark Compact Objects
• The Dark Side of the Moon: Listening to Scalar-Induced Gravitational Waves